


I'm Not Available, Leave a Message

by LadiesLoveLoki



Series: The Night Caller Series [3]
Category: Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-18
Updated: 2015-02-18
Packaged: 2018-03-13 16:33:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3388619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadiesLoveLoki/pseuds/LadiesLoveLoki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Tom and Selenna attend a party, with some bumps along the way, along with a major revelation.</p>
            </blockquote>





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“Have a seat, Selenna”, he said.  “And close the door.”

She went into his office, closing the door and sitting down.  She  _really_ didn’t like being in the room with this man with the door closed. 

She eyed her boss, an aging man with a horribly fake tan, and bleached platinum hair.  His face was surgically enhanced, and was very big.  She figured that she wore ill-fitting suits on purpose so he could show off his muscles.

He reminded her of a grotesque version of Biff Tannen, from that time travel movie she loved so much, only with a MUCH worse disposition.  This man made Tannen look like the sweetest man to ever exist, fictional or otherwise.

She was  _nowhere near_ interested, but yet his hands seemed never to get that message.

He eyed her as if a hungry man would eye a steak.  “The company party is this Saturday night”, he began, slowly walking around the desk to lean on it, right in front of her.   

“I know that, Sir-“, she began, but he cut her off.

“And I’ve decided to give you the honor of being my plus one”, he said.

She gaped at him, unable to believe the audacity of this bastard.

“I’ll be round to pick you up at 8pm sharp.”

She tried, REALLY HARD, to keep the bile from rising in her throat.  “I’m….flattered”, she ground out.  “But I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you.  For, you see, I already have a plus one.”

The gobsmacked look on his face was almost worth her discomfort.  Almost.

“Then…he’ll have to be disappointed”, he said, slowly and pointedly, his stare growing cold.  “I’ll only say this once more: I will pick you up at 8pm sharp.”

“I’m afraid not”, she replied, standing.  “If you’ll excuse me Mr. Johnson, I have work to get back to.” She turned, going for the door.  She didn’t get to open it, because she felt his hand gripping her arm above the elbow.

“8pm”, he snarled in her ear. 

She forcefully yanked her arm out of his grip.  “I don’t think so”, she replied, walking out.

She distinctly heard his voice as she walked off.

“So the shy kitten has claws”, he murmured to himself.  “I like that.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

The NERVE of that bugger, she thought to herself furiously as she walked to her front door.  She would never willingly spend time with that creepy bastard, much less allow herself to be in the close confines of a car with him. 

He made the rest of her day unbearable.  Dumping HIS work on her, glaring at her and, in his words, ‘making an example of her’. 

She dug her hand into her bag, looking for her keys.  When she took them out, she looked up at her front door…and all of her annoyance and frustration melted away.

Taped to it was a rose, with a note.

She sighed, chuckling as she took the rose, and the note, going into the house.  She put her bag down, took off her coat, then opened the note.

_‘I’m so sorry I’ve not been by these past few days, darling, especially when I’m to accompany you to the party this Saturday night.  Things have been extraordinarily busy.  To make up for it, I left something for you on your bed.  Further instructions are on top.  Enjoy.  –Yours Always, Tom.’_

She smiled to herself like a complete loon as she almost ran to her bedroom.  On it, there was a green box, tied with a gold ribbon, with a smaller one on top, and yet a smaller one on top of that.  On top of the smallest box, there was another envelope.

_‘I hope they fit you.  I didn’t know if you had anything to wear, so I took the liberty.  In the smaller boxes, there are the needed accessories; shoes, knickers, jewelry and the like.  Saturday morning, expect company.  Do not worry; they will be coming to you to do your hair, makeup, and everything else.  Everything’s already been set up.  They’ll be at your house at 2pm.  At 8pm sharp, my car will come round and I will meet you there.  Expect someone named Luke.  I can’t wait.  Until Saturday night.  –Yours Always, Tom.’_

She blinked as she put the note aside, peering at the boxes.  She decided to open the biggest box first.  She put the two smaller boxes aside, and pulled on the bow, untying the gold ribbon, and opening it.  The contents inside made her gasp. 

The gown was emerald green, with gold accents.  She slowly lifted the dress, made of lighter than air fabric.  It was something a Greek goddess would wear. 

She blushed as she peered at it.  She’d never owned anything this lovely.  After carefully hanging the dress on a hanger, she opened the medium sized box; gold strappy sandals with a medium sized heel.  Her blush deepened as she saw what else was in the box.  Lacy boy cut knickers, with matching bra and suspenders that matched the dress’ color perfectly, with matching thigh highs. 

The smallest box contained jewelry.  A tennis bracelet of alternating diamonds and emeralds set in gold, earrings of teardrop shaped emeralds with smaller diamonds surrounding it, with a matching pendant, also set in gold. 

She sat on the bed, looking over all the lovely things.  No one had ever done something like this for her before.  She was always used to being overlooked and ignored, unless someone wanted something from her. 

She carefully put the lovely things away, and went to the bathroom.  She chuckled to herself as she looked inside.

There was a bath ready for her, with a note that read ‘To help you relax’. 

She stripped out of her clothes, and settled in the bathwater.

It had been three months since he came to her that first night.  Every night since, he’d be here when she came home from work in the evenings.  Sometimes, he’d sweep her up and carry her off right to the bedroom even before the door was closed.  Other times, she’d come in to find dinner ready for her on the table.  Most times, it was a combination of the two.  Dinner, before being carried off to the bedroom to be pampered and pleasured in every way.

How could this man possibly exist?  How is it that a man such as he would choose  _her,_ of all people?  The one that was always overlooked in favor of the blonde, perky, classically beautiful and sexy one?  The one that no one could get past the glasses, the prudish clothing and the bun on the back of her head to see the living, breathing woman underneath? 

She sighed as she shifted a bit in the bathtub.  She hadn’t seen him in a few days, because, he’d told her, he had things he had to do.  Which was understandable; she couldn’t expect to monopolize ALL of his time.  But she had to admit that she missed him.  She missed waking up to find him holding her, her head on his chest. 

No man had ever made her feel cherished like he did.  He cradled her as if she was something so precious, so fragile.  And what stuck out most was the fact that he seemed to know every single detail about her, yet she knew next to nothing about him.  She knew that his name was Tom, he lived in London, he loved Shakespeare…and that was about it.

And, strangely enough…that didn’t bother her.  The only thing that bothered her was the fact that he was just  _so familiar_ to her, but try as she might, she couldn’t remember WHY. 

She closed her eyes, enjoying the bath, when her phone rang.  She pressed the speaker button. 

“I miss you.”

His voice was always a soft purr, or filled with laughter.  But this time, it actually sounded…sad.

“I miss you too”, she murmured.

“I’m sorry I’ve not been to see you in the past few days”, he said.

“It’s understandable”, she replied.  “You have your own life to live, too.”

She heard him sigh.  “True, but still”, he said.  “I’ve gotten used to your presence.  I’ve actually found it harder to sleep these past few days.”

“Me too”, she said softly. 

“Are you enjoying your bath?” he asked.

“Hmmyes, very much.  You didn’t have to.”

“I figured you needed to relax”, he purred.

She blushed. 

“I can tell that you’re blushing”, he purred, his voice going even deeper than before.  He then growled a bit.  “It’s not fair that you’re all the way over there, so I cannot enjoy the view of just how far that blush goes.”

She blushed harder.  She could tell that he’d gone to talk more but there were voices in the background.  She heard him sigh. 

“Bugger”, he gruffed.  “Forgive me…I had thought to make this phone call more interesting, but I’m being called away.  Until Saturday.”

“Until Saturday”, she murmured, hanging up.

Two days.  She could wait for two days.

Saturday night couldn’t come fast enough.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Saturday came, to her delight, faster than she hoped it would.  Johnson had been off on Friday because he needed to ‘prepare’.  Which probably meant more time than a human being should have in a tanning bed.  Thank goodness for small favors that she didn’t have to deal with him.

Promptly at 2, her doorbell rang.  When she opened her door, there were two women standing there.  One of them had brilliant red hair, and the other had dark hair, pulled back in a short ponytail. 

“Welcome”, she said, letting them in. 

“Hi”, the redhead said, reaching her hand out for Selenna to shake.  “My name is Scarlett, and this is Cobie.  We’re going to be your stylists today.”  They brought their bags inside.

Selenna shook Scarlett’s hand, then Cobie’s.  “It’s good to meet you two.”

“Wait!!” Scarlett said, making Selenna blink at her in confusion. 

“My God, Cobie, come here and look at this”, she continued.

“What’s wrong, Scar?” Cobie asked, coming over.

“Look at this”, Scarlett said. 

“Look at what?” Cobie asked.

Selenna blinked as the two peered closely at her.

“Look at these eyes”, Scarlett said, in awe.

Cobie blinked at her.  “Oh, wow”, she breathed.  “I’ve NEVER seen eyes that color…like amethysts.”

Selenna flushed a bit, shrugging. 

“Don’t be embarrassed, sweetie, they’re gorgeous”, Scarlett said, smiling at her.  “And has anyone ever told you that you look like a young Elizabeth Taylor?”

Selenna shook her head.

Cobie looked at her watch.  “We should get started.  We have a lot of primping to do.”

And so it started.  First, she was taken into the bathroom, and stripped to the skin.  They used a sort of sugar scrub on her, first soaking her body in hot water before scrubbing her so hard that her skin tingled, before she was shaved.  After that, another scrub, and another shave.  When they were done with her, a final moisturizing made her skin feel as if it were made of some exotic fabric; more smooth than silk, and  _much_ more luxurious.  It made her think that it would have been something that the ancient Egyptians would have. 

Next was her makeup, along with a manicure and pedicure.  After seeing the dress, Scarlett found makeup that would complement everything beautifully. 

Cobie did her hair.  After cooing over how gorgeous it was, she went through the whole ritual; shampooing, conditioning, deep conditioning, another shampoo, another conditioning, and another deep conditioning.  When all that was finished, she swept the sides of Selenna’s hair up and away from her face, leaving the rest to tumble down her back in glossy waves and curls.  She threaded small, white flowery embellishments and baby’s breath through her tresses carefully. 

When all the primping and preening was finally finished, Selenna was stunned at how much time had gone by.  It really didn’t take  _five and a half hours,_ surely??

“Trust me”, Scarlett said at Selenna’s look.  “Some we’ve done took longer than that.”

She blinked as she took off her robe, revealing her naked body to the room.  She went to reach for the knickers, but stopped.  Peeking over at her vanity, she snatched the little can and the small duster.

“You have honey dust??” Scarlett cried, bounding over to her to peer at the can.

Selenna nodded, blushing. 

“Cheeky minx”, Cobie said, gently nudging her.  She giggled when Selenna’s blush deepened.  She took the duster, and started dusting the sweet smelling powder all over Selenna’s body.

When she wriggled into her knickers, bra, suspenders, and thigh highs, she finally slid into the dress.  When she was finished, both Cobie and Scarlett looked at her in awe.

“Tom is  _not_ going to be able to keep his hands off you”, Scarlett said.

Selenna blushed yet again.  “If it’s all right for me to ask, how do you two know Tom?” she asked.

“We’re old friends”, Cobie replied.  “When he told us what he wanted done, especially describing how lovely you are, Scarlett and I jumped at the chance.”  At Selenna’s look, the two giggled.

“He talks about you  _ALL THE TIME_ ”, Scarlett said. 

Selenna’s blush deepened, yet again.

“Don’t be embarrassed, sweetie, feel special”, Cobie said, putting a hand on Selenna’s shoulder.  “This is the first time in  _years_ that I’ve actually seen him this interested in somebody.”

“To the point where it’s sickening”, Scarlett giggled.  “He’s always checking his phone, or disappearing in order to make a phone call.”

She went and made tea.  Scarlett and Cobie were absolute dears.  After agreeing to a ‘girls’ day out’, the doorbell rang.  Scarlett went to answer. 

“Um…Sel…do you know this guy?” she called.

Selenna took the shawl that came with the dress, and wrapped it about her shoulders as she went to the door.

And promptly went cold.

For standing there, in all his grotesque, surgically enhanced, tuxedoed glory, was Milton Johnson.

“I’m here to pick you up”, he said, smiling that grimy smile that made her feel filthy, and  _not_ in the fun way.  His eyes pointedly raked over her as he licked his lips, making her want to retreat into the bathroom and scrub her skin off.

“I’m struggling to find which part of ‘I already have a plus one’ that you did not understand”, Selenna said scathingly.  “Either you are hard of hearing, or you are just too stupid to grasp the fact that I am, nor will I ever be interested in the likes of  _you_.”

The smile slipped from his face as it turned into a scowl.  “You have no right to speak to  _your boss_ in such a tone”, he said through gritted teeth.

“Actually, I’m not officially clocked in.  And YOU’RE on MY property, uninvited and unwelcome.  It’s one thing for you to boss everyone about in the office, but it’s quite another for you to bully me in my own home.”

His scowl deepened when he heard a hiss; he sneered at the cat that had padded into the hallway,

“Keep your beast away”, he sneered.

“You are in no position to be barking orders”, Selenna sneered back. 

Both Scarlett and Cobie gaped at the nerve of this guy.  “Can I kill him?” Scarlett muttered.

“I would have no problem letting you, but not only is he not worth your time, I’m sure he would make a mess of my carpet”, Selenna said boredly.  She didn’t know where this sudden confidence was coming from…but she liked it.  Perhaps a bit of Tom was rubbing off on her.

Johnson gaped at her.  He was about to speak again when a voice interrupted. 

“Miss Creedy?” the voice asked.

Selenna looked to see a young man coming up the steps of her porch, and up to her door.  He was dressed in his formal best.  She ignored Johnson, and came up to the door.  “You must be Luke”, she said.

Luke nodded.  “I’m here to escort you to the party”, he said, gently shaking her hand.

She nodded back, taking the clutch that Scarlett had handed her.  She, very pointedly took Luke’s arm, much to Cobie’s and Scarlett’s amusement, and to Johnson’s shock.  Without once looking back, she let Luke escort her to the waiting limousine.

“You two crazy kids have fun”, Scarlett called, waving.  “We’ll clean up here.”

Cobie smirked at Johnson’s still gaping face.  “Good night, Biff”, she said.  “Oh wait, never mind, Biff was hotter.”

Without another word, Cobie slammed the door in his face.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

After nodding politely to Duncan, the driver, Selenna settled into the cushions of the limousine, while Luke climbed in after her, pocketing his phone, which had been in his hand.  With a word, they were on their way.

“So you’re her”, Luke said, almost in wonder.

She shifted nervously.

“You’re the one who managed to turn Tom’s head”, Luke continued.  “A feat that many have tried, and every single one of them have failed.”

She blinked a bit as she fiddled with her fingers.  She didn’t know what to say to that.

“Nothing to be shy about”, Luke said.  “I think it’s great.  He was always locked away with his work.”

A workaholic?

“I’m just…glad he’s  _finally_  poked his head out from under his papers”, Luke said, sighing.  “I feared his back was going to buckle with the weight.”

“I’m glad to have eased some of that burden”, she murmured.

Luke looked at her for a long moment.  “He’s been my friend for a very long time”, he said.  “And I can tell you without the slightest hint of hesitation that you are the best thing that has ever happened to him.  He smiles so much more, he walks with an extra bounce in his step…hell, he’s even quoting Shakespeare again.”

Tears clung to her eyelashes.  Had she really made THAT big of a difference in this man’s life?  After so short a time in being with him?  Was that even possible?  Had his life truly been that empty?  Only having his own work for company?  True, he had his friends, but friends could only do so much.  Had he been without female companionship for so long?  He was an extraordinarily handsome man; she was sure that he could have any woman he wanted.  All he had to do was smile at one, and his intended target would swoon at his feet.

And what of the other?   They never exactly talked about anything deeper than how they’ve been carrying on.  He’d also been…telling everyone he  _knew_ of her?  What exactly had he told them?  And from what his friends had been telling her, he’d been carrying on as if…as if…

No.  She didn’t dare finish that thought.

Besides, how was she to feel about a man that she’d only ever spoken to on the phone for nine months, and doing naught much else besides romping in bed with him for three?    

She’d been looking thoughtfully out the window, and was brought out of her reverie when Luke called her name.

“Are you all right?” Luke asked, peering at her in concern.

She forced a small smile, chuckling.  “I’m all right.  Thank you for your concern.”

They would have spoken more, but the car jolted, halting their conversation. 

“Bloody hell…”, Luke said. 

At first, they thought they’d driven over a pothole, but then it happened again.  And again.

“What is going on??” Luke barked to the driver.

“Someone’s trying to ram us from behind”, the driver said.  “Hang on!!”

Both of them tightened their seatbelts as Duncan, the driver, slammed on the gas pedal. 

Selenna ventured a peek out the back window.  “I don’t bloody believe it…”

“Who is it?” Luke asked.

“It’s Johnson”, she said in disbelief.  “He’s trying to run us off the road!!” 

 She’d known he was a horrendous person, for certain.  But she didn’t think that he would stoop THIS low.  Then again, deep down, she really wasn’t surprised.  Whenever anyone had ever told him ‘no’, he would act like a spoiled, vindictive bully.  She knew from personal experience.

As Duncan sped through the streets, quite impressively, to try to lose the ramming vehicle behind them, Luke and Selenna hung on tight.  But no matter how hard Duncan tried to lose him, Johnson kept hot on his tail.  Through the entire ride, Johnson kept ramming the back of the car, while Luke kept trying to get on his phone.

“Goddammit”, he burst out, trying again.  “No bloody service!!” 

“ _HANG ON!!”_ Duncan bellowed, spinning the steering wheel at almost dizzying speed.

The limousine swerved dangerously, almost running into the ditch on the side of the road, but Duncan managed to right the vehicle. 

The ride seemed to go on forever, her heart pounding the entire time, while she and Luke were hanging on for dear life.  Finally, Duncan turned sharply right, onto the gravel pathway up to the enormous residence where the yearly company party was being held; to Selenna, it resembled a grand palace.  Johnson’s car turned from the gravel pathway, and out of sight.  Duncan drove up to the grand marble staircase that led up to the front doors.

“Are you all right?” Luke asked, peering at her in concern.

Selenna took a few deep breaths, to get her bearings back, before nodding. 

“Duncan”, Luke called, just before the driver hopped out.  “Give her a minute.”

She gave Luke a grateful smile as she collected herself.  After a few minutes, she nodded at Duncan, who hopped out of the driver’s seat, and went round to open the door for them.

“Luke…don’t tell him”, she murmured.

Luke gave her an unreadable look before he climbed out.

She took the hand Luke offered, before slowly stepping out.  When she stood to her full height, she saw him.

He was leaning against the marble balustrade, looking absolutely delicious in his formal best.  The tuxedo was perfectly tailored to his tall frame; dark with blue trim.  A bowtie of navy sat smartly on his throat.  When he saw her, he stood to his full height.  For a few moments, his eyes widened as he looked at her.  He looked positively thunderstruck.  After looking her over from head to toe, an awestruck smile split his face, lighting it up.

She smiled back at him.  She walked up to him, and he reached out, grasping her hands in both of his.  With a long, slow, breath, he drew her into his arms, burying his nose in her hair, inhaling deeply. 

Immediately, he knew something was wrong.  He gently moved her so he could see into her face, cradling her cheek in his palm. 

“Selenna, what’s wrong?” he asked, peering at her closely. 

“Nothing…I’m all right”, she said.  “Just…nervous.”

“You’re trembling”, he murmured.  “What happened?” 

Before she could speak, Luke spoke up, explaining about Johnson and the car.

Selenna glared at him.

“Look at it from my standpoint”, Luke said.  “If I lie, most especially when you’re concerned, and Tom finds out, he’ll hang me from my dangly bits.”

“Too right”, Tom gruffed as he looked her over carefully.

“I’m all right”, she murmured.  “Just a little shaken up.”

Luke looked back at Tom, who looked evenly at him.  Without a word, he nodded, jogging off.

“The driver deserves a raise.  I’ll make sure to let his boss know”, she said softly, chuckling. 

Tom chuckled, kissing her forehead.  With a soft growl, he kissed her cheeks, then her lips.  Then her chin, and down her neck…and froze.

“Tom…not here”, she said, blushing, wriggling a little bit to try to keep his hands from wandering.

“Selenna”, he asked slowly, “…Are you…wearing the  _honey dust?”_

She peeked up at him, an impish glint in her eye as she nodded. 

He groaned, holding her to him, burying his face in her hair.  “You’ll be the death of me”, he whispered.

She giggled as his arms tightened around her.

They stood that way, ignoring the people who were peering at them curiously as they passed. 

After a few minutes, they disentangled themselves.  Tom stood to his full height, offering his arm. 

“Shall we?”

She nodded, taking his arm, letting him lead her inside. 

The party was in full swing.  People were talking, laughing, eating, drinking, dancing, and all around having a good time.  Even though it was formal, it wasn’t one of those stuffy parties.  There was a DJ, and the music was going, people having a ball on the dance floor.

People were staring and whispering as they went by, a lot of the ladies gasping and swooning over Tom, while Selenna was the recipient of the hungry gazes of a good bit of the men.  Since Tom paid them absolutely no mind, neither did she. 

He slowly guided her down the massive staircase that led to the dance floor.  To Selenna’s confusion, nobody really seemed to actually recognize her.  She couldn’t fathom why; she worked with these people on a daily basis.  Surely her transformation wasn’t THAT drastic…was it?

“Every man in this room is wondering who the goddess is on my arm”, Tom murmured in her ear.

That damnedable blush crept up on her cheeks again.  Would it ever disappear?  She’d lost count of how many times it had come up today. 

“Dance with me”, he breathed.

She peeked up at him, nodding.  A slow song started playing, and he drew her onto the dance floor.  His arms wrapped around her, guiding her to lean against him, her head resting on his chest.

Yes.  This felt safe.  Warm.   _Right._

Odd that she should be feeling like this after only three months.

They didn’t move too much.  They only gently swayed to the music. 

Tom looked down at her; his shy yet  _oh so naughty_ goddess.  Her eyes were closed, and she looked content.  A far cry from a bit ago when she was trembling fearfully in his arms.

If he ever found Johnson, he was going to end up begging him to kill him before he was done.  Even then, he would not do him that kindness.

The slow song ended, replaced with a sultry sort of beat.  He peered impishly at her, and stepped back, holding his hand out to her with a dramatic flourish.

She looked at him with wide eyes before she slowly slid her hand into his, only to be quickly spun into his arms.

The two danced, uncaring of all the eyes that were now watching with interest.  They moved as one in a sort of improvised tango, their bodies in perfect sync with each other, because they knew each other’s bodies so well.

When the music ended, he dipped her, the both of them breathing hard; even said breathing was in unison.  They didn’t hear the enthusiastic applause for their performance because rest of the world had disappeared.  Their attention was only on each other. 

His eyes were so intense that they took her breath away, even more than the dance did.  His face came closer, and closer, before his lips devoured hers in a hungry kiss.  Was that roaring in her ears, or had the applause of the crowd gotten louder? 

She felt his embrace tighten around her, holding her tightly to his body as they straightened. A yelp came out of her as she was suddenly picked up in his strong arms.  She watched him with wide eyes as his own were looking around wildly.  After apparently spotting what he was looking for, he made a beeline for it.  Upon looking in the direction he was all but stalking, she swallowed hard.

The doorway that led to the terrace, with the staircase that led down to the garden.

Before she could realize what was going on, he’d taken her into the garden, and into a hidden alcove.  She felt her back meet a marble pillar as his lips again fused to hers as he lifted her, lifting her dress and guiding her legs around his waist.  Her hips ground into him, making him groan into her mouth as his hands slid over her silken thighs, made so from the stockings she was wearing.  His urgent hands ran higher, his fingers delving under her knickers and pushing the lace aside as her small hands went to his belt buckle, undoing the belt and his trousers.  Their need, the need that had been simmering for the past few days, came roaring over them like a tidal wave. 

She sighed against his lips as his hips shoved into her urgently.  One hand twisted in his hair and the other clung to his shoulder as she hung on for dear life.  

“Yes”, she whimpered, her hips meeting his eagerly.  “Oh God, Tom… _yes…”_

“I’ve  _missed_ you…” He growled into her mouth, punctuating his thought with a vicious, spearing thrust, making her yelp. 

“Someone could… _ungh…_ catch us”, she panted, squeaking when she felt his fingers in her knickers again to press down on her throbbing clit.

“Makes it…so much… _better… **doesn’t it??”**_ he half choked, half snarled in her ear, again punctuating his thoughts with merciless jabs.

“Oh  _God…”_

His downright  _obscene_ panting in her ear was her undoing.  Her thighs tightened around him as she came,  _hard,_ clenching her jaw as it took all she had to swallow down her shriek.  He came a second later, throbbing almost painfully as he spurted thickly into her.  He groaned softly into her ear, the both of them trying to get their breath back.

He looked down at her face.  Her eyes were closed, her cheeks were flushed, and her lovely lips were parted slightly.  He pressed a gentle kiss to those lips, suckling on her lower lip gently before releasing it.  He buried his face in her neck, inhaling slowly as she wrapped her arms around him, just holding him. 

She sighed as they stayed that way for a few moments. 

“Forgive me”, he murmured.

She blinked as he lifted his head to look at her.  “Why?” she whispered.

He chuckled ruefully as he took his handkerchief, his hand disappearing under her skirt.  She felt him clean her up with it, and fixed her knickers, sliding her down onto her feet.  He smoothed her gown over her hips.  Not once did her eyes stray from his face.

He actually looked… _remorseful._ He was looking her over, slowly and carefully, as if committing her to memory.  His hands were gently running up and down her sides.  And for once, he looked like he was searching for something to say.

“It’s just…I wanted tonight to be fun”, he almost whispered.  “To be out and about; eat, drink, and be merry.  I didn’t want tonight to be only about me dragging you to every hidden alcove to maul you at every opportunity.”

She peeked up at him.  “I don’t mind being mauled”, she said softly.

“I  _know”,_ he said, sighing as he drew her against him, kissing the top of her head.  “I just thought, well…this is our first  _official_  date, isn’t it?”

She nodded.  He gave her time to freshen herself up a tiny bit, using the lip gloss that Scarlett gave her.  She blushed when he took the handkerchief that he used to clean her up with, folded it carefully, then brought it up to his nose, inhaling long and slow before tucking it back into his breast pocket, patting it.

“Come”, he murmured, guiding her to lean against him.  He led her back inside, having her nestled safely under his arm.

They never noticed the eyes that were watching, hidden in the thick foliage of the garden.

When the two walked in, everyone else was treated to a true vision: the lady was glowing like a true goddess, while the man, one of the most handsome men in the room, had said goddess tucked against his side protectively. 

Selenna let Tom lead her to the tables where the food and drink were.  It was then that she realized that she was  _famished…_ she’d barely eaten anything today, having been too excited about tonight.  While she ate a piece of fruit, someone came up to Tom, clapping him on the back. 

“Tom, man, great to see you”, the man said.

Tom grinned at him.  “Clark, bloody hell mate, been a while”, he said, giving him a hug. 

The man, Clark, then eyed Selenna.  He then smiled.  “So…this must be her”, he said, gently nudging Tom.

Tom chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully.  “Yes”, he murmured.

Clark gently took Selenna’s hand, shaking it warmly.  “Good to finally have a face that matches the one that Tom talks almost nonstop about”, he said.  He then peered at her carefully, then blinked in realization.  “Selenna?? My God, I’d never have recognized you!!  I’m so sorry, it’s just that I’ve never seen you with your hair down.”

She chuckled.  “Hi, Clark”, she said, accepting his warm hug. 

Clark worked in Human Resources.  An exchange from America, a warm, funny, nice man who proudly showed off the newest pictures of his wife and children every chance he got.  It was always good to talk to Clark; he always managed to make her feel better after a craptacular day.

Others came to talk to Tom; two men she called ‘The Chrises’, as both their first names were Chris.  Evans, from Marketing, and Hemsworth from Research and Development.  Sam, one of the Board of Directors, Robert and Mark, also from Research and Development, and then Jeremy from Accounting.  Even Scarlett and Cobie had joined in, apparently having gotten ready at her place.  And she was shocked that they all actually knew who she was, because these were higher ups in the company, and she was just a low level ‘grunt’. 

She had no idea that Tom knew all these people.  She blushed at their attention, and each and every one of them had the same sentiment; that they were all  eager to meet the girl Tom never shut up about, and glad that Tom finally ‘got himself a nice girl’. 

Tom stuck by her side, his arm around her waist as he chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand.  It was the first time she’d seen him interact with his friends.  And it was lovely to see him this way; joking, playful, a bit bawdy and absolutely wonderful.  At times, he would look at her, winking cheekily, making her giggle a bit. 

And the most amazing part about it all was what would happen if any woman tried to get a bit too  _friendly_ with him; his friends would swoop down within milliseconds and discourage such behavior.  They just…swooped in (like…what could she possibly call them?  Relationship Avengers?) before Tom could even get a word out.  The best reaction, in her mind, was from Robert.

“He’s taken”, Robert said bluntly, pointing a thumb over his shoulder at Tom.  “Go on, beat it.”

She’d gotten her fair share of jealous glares, which made her stare back evenly with a raised eyebrow. She was not going to allow herself to be made to feel inferior just because some women wanted to act like catty, jealous cows instead of civilized human beings.

When the guys went to draw him off to hang out outside for a little while for some ‘guy talk’, Tom turned to her.

“You’ll be all right in here?” he murmured.

She nodded, and blushed when he took her hands, kissing the both of them reverently before being drawn off by his very own vortex of testosterone.

When Tom was gone, that’s when the estrogen vortex descended.

Two she didn’t mind; her work friend Chloe, who worked in the cubicle next to her, and Nikki, the one across. 

“Sellie, I didn’t even recognize you when you walked in” Chloe gushed, playfully nudging her, ruffling her short, spiky platinum hair.  Her blue eyes sparkled cheerfully.  “Naughty wench, you didn’t even tell me you were bringing a date.”

Selenna chuckled as Nikki, with her jet black hair, put her head on Selenna’s shoulder.  She adjusted her ‘little black dress’, making sure it wasn’t riding up.

“Now, you’re not going to escape without giving us details”, Nikki said impishly.  “So come on, luvvie, tell us…how’d you meet, how long have you two been seeing each other,  _how good is he in bed…”_

Selenna’s face turned beet red, making Nikki and Chloe look at each other, gaping in shock for a moment before turning back to her.

“ _SPILL”,_ they said in unison.

“Yes,  _do_ spill”, an icily sarcastic voice said smoothly. 

The three looked at the one speaking; a bottle blonde with a shockingly pink dress that starkly contrasted with her overly tanned skin. 

“Don’t you have a street corner to be on?” Nikki asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t speaking to YOU”, the woman said, coming up to Selenna, eyeing her disdainfully.

Selenna merely smiled serenely at her.  “Good evening, Sabrina”, she said, sipping her drink.  “I do hope you’re enjoying yourself.”

“So come now, DO explain…exactly  _how_ much did you pay him to accompany you?” Sabrina asked, smirking at her.  “Because, dear, let’s face it…nobody’s looked at you in years.  The ugly little office mouse.”  She snickered, as did a few who were with her.  “Someone like  _you_ couldn’t  _ever_ hope to keep a man like  _that_  satisfied.”

Both Nikki and Chloe went to verbally attack, but Selenna stopped them.

Selenna’s serene smile never left her face.  “What I do behind closed doors is none of  _your_ business”, She said coolly.  “And that is all I will tell you on the matter.  My sex life has nothing to do with you.”

“You mean  _lack_ of sex life”, Sabrina said sweetly. 

Unbeknownst to the ladies, the guys had returned, and were listening in on the exchange.  Jeremy was going to step forward and say something, but Tom stopped him.

“I hate that Barbie bitch”, Jeremy grunted, looking over at Tom.  “Aren’t you going to say anything?  ‘Defending the honor of your Maiden Fair’ and all that?”

Tom smiled serenely.  “I have faith that she has things well in hand”, he replied.  “Watch.”

Selenna sipped her drink again.  “Furthermore, I am not going to waste a single moment more of my night on explaining anything to the likes of  _you._ I am polite and civil to you in the office because it is the professional thing to do in such a setting.  But now that we are not IN the office, I do not have to pretend that your opinions actually matter to me.  You are a petty, uncivilized cow who no one respects because she does absolutely NOTHING useful in the office other than being something nice to look at for the male supervisors.  The ONLY reason you have your job is because you are related to one of the department heads.  I wonder how much maneuvering it took said Department Head to keep the owner of the company from seeing exactly how much you’ve been… _borrowing…_ from company funds.”

Sabrina flushed angrily.  She went to speak, but Selenna cut her off.

“Didn’t think I knew about that, did you?” she asked.  “You would be surprised at what this… _little mouse…_ can find out.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to enjoy myself tonight.  And said enjoyment does not include being belittled and mocked by someone who’s so insecure with themselves that they have to tan their skin to the point where it’s leather, get the biggest implants one can find, and bleach their hair to actually feel attractive.  My enjoyment entails eating, drinking, being merry, and, if I’m lucky, a few quick, hard shags in hidden alcoves, courtesy of the amazing, kind, generous, warm, and absolute perfect human being of a man that is my plus one.” 

She eyed Sabrina, who was gaping at her, obviously not used to being spoken to this way, by Selenna of all people.  “You could be a much more pleasant person if you didn’t feel the need to put others down to make yourself feel better.  People would actually like and respect you more.  Even your own so called friends can’t stand to be in the same vicinity as you for an extended period of time.”  She gestured to Sabrina’s back, and to Sabrina’s horror, she realized she was right; her friends had mysteriously poofed.

“Good night”, Selenna said, smiling slightly.  In obvious dismissal, she emptied her glass, and turned her back on the blonde, putting the empty flute on a tray. 

“You heard the lady…bugger off!!” Chloe said, making Sabrina stomp off.

“Genius…THAT…was  _GENIUS…_ Sellie…I have  _chills”,_ Nikki said, gaping at Selenna. 

“All right”, Chloe said playfully, peering at Selenna carefully.  “Who are you, and what have you done with our meek, shy, quiet Sellie?”

Selenna chuckled.

“Oh, this mystery man must have rubbed off on you”, Nikki said.  “I like it.”

Selenna was about to speak, but a pair of strong arms wrapped around her from behind. 

“A few quick, hard shags, eh?” Tom purred, making her giggle.

Nikki and Chloe eyed him. 

“You’re rubbing off on our Sellie”, Chloe said, laughing.  “Whatever it is you’re doing, please, keep doing it.”

“Oh…I plan to… _keep doing it”,_ Tom purred as he nipped her earlobe, making Selenna jump, yelping and fwapping at him gently. 

“You’re evil”, Selenna said, peeking up at him.

“And you  _love it_ ”, Tom replied, kissing her temple.

The group talked, laughed, ate, and drank, until Clark checked his watch, sighing.

“Gotta go do my thing”, he sighed, jogging off. 

Tom drew her to his side, kissing her temple as Clark went up to the stage, where the DJ was set up, and got handed a microphone.  Everyone quieted down when he tapped on it.

“Is everybody having fun?” Clark asked, making everybody cheer.  He chuckled.  “I’m glad, I’m glad.  Now, I usually don’t do this because he  _loves_  to remain anonymous, but I wanted to call on our gracious, generous host,  _and boss,_  up here so we can thank him for allowing us all into his home to eat all his food and drink all his booze.”

 Everyone began laughing and cheering, all chanting to encourage their reclusive boss to the stage.

“C’mon, man, don’t make me beg”, Clark said, laughing.  “See, he thinks because he’s the owner of the whole enchilada…or is it burrito?  Anyway, not important.  What’s important is that he thinks that I won’t go over there and pick him up to bring him up here if he doesn’t come up on his own.”

That drew more laughter from the crowd. 

Then, something happened that changed  _everything_. 

Tom sighed good naturedly beside her, tilted her head up, and pressed a gentle, chaste kiss to her lips before withdrawing from her…and went to the stage.

Tom hopped up on stage beside Clark, looking completely bashful as he waved, as Clark clapped him on the back.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present our host…our boss…and one of my closest, personal friends…the owner of HI…Mr. Thomas William Hiddleston.”

Clark handed over the mic, clapping as everyone began cheering.

“Clark, do remind me to throttle you later”, Tom said, chuckling.  “But seriously…I’m very glad that everyone is having a good time.  Enjoy yourselves; tonight is for you, to celebrate your hard work in making Hiddleston Industries what it is now.”  A glass of champagne was pressed into his hand by Clark.  “I’m not going to bore you with a long speech, so I will only propose a toast.”  He lifted his glass, while everyone else followed suit.  “To all of you.  To the hope that next year will be more prosperous than the last, for all of us.  To life…”  His eyes immediately found Selenna’s stunned ones, his voice now almost a whisper.  “…And to love.”

Everyone sipped from their glasses; Tom’s eyes never left her as he sipped his.  Selenna was frozen, and she could hardly breathe. 

Chloe peered at her friend in concern, because Selenna’s face had gone white.  “Sellie, are you all right?” she murmured.

“Fine”, Selenna squeaked.

Nikki, like Chloe, was peering at her.

“Sellie…did you know about this?” Nikki asked slowly.

Selenna’s head shook jerkily. 

She fiddled with the glass in her hand as Tom hopped down from the stage, and was suddenly surrounded by people all wanting to shake his hand.  He smiled at them, giving them their handshakes and his thanks at being good at their jobs, while steadily making his way towards where she was standing.  She looked down into her still slightly fizzing champagne, before downing it all in two swallows before turning to put the glass down.  Turning back, she jumped; he was right in front of her now.

“Are you all right?” Tom asked quietly.

“Fine”, she squeaked again. 

Tom chuckled ruefully as he rubbed the back of his neck.  As if sensing Clark’s presence behind him, he spoke pointedly.  “I  _HAD_ hoped to talk to you about this myself”, he ground out softly.

Clark blinked then grimaced.  “Man, I thought you talked to her already…”

Tom turned, pinning him with an icy glare.  “Obviously not”, he said.

“I’m sorry…you never told us not to say anything”, Clark said.

Clark’s voice was a mumble to Tom’s ears.  He was wholly concentrated on Selenna, who was looking pale.  “Are you sure you’re all right?” he murmured, gently cupping her cheek.

She smiled ruefully, gently patting his chest.  “I’m all right”, she said.  Her breath was finally coming back.  “I think I just…need a bit of air, is all.”  She tilted her head up to kiss his cheek, patting his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze as she turned to go outside. 

She didn’t see the look he gave her back, nor the concern in Nikki and Chloe’s eyes.  She also never noticed that Tom turned to Clark, his icy glare even icier, then got the shorter man in a tight headlock, and dragged him off.

Selenna’s shoes slowly clicked on the marble path through the garden, her arms wrapping around herself.  Her mind was everywhere.

_Boss??_ It was hard for her mind to comprehend.  This man owned the company she worked for.  Not only that, but the house that she had always likened to a palace, with its lavish spread, was all  _his._ He was, for all intents and purposes, a  _very_ rich man.  She didn’t know how to feel about all that.  If she were truly honest about herself, all his riches didn’t matter to her.

But that wasn’t what had stolen her breath.

It was the toast.  The way he was  _looking_ at her.  As if…as if…

This time, her mind didn’t shy away from the thought, like it did before.

_As if she was his whole world._

And what of that familiar feeling…that feeling that she  _knew_ him from somewhere?  Tonight’s revelation, surprisingly, did nothing to explain  _why._  

She took in the lovely view of the garden, with its various flowers and foliage.  She walked up to a rose, very gently cradling the bud in her palm, peering at it before inhaling its scent.  She sighed gently as she stroked the soft petals, looking at it as if it held all the answers she was looking for.

She never noticed the figure that was coming up behind her.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Tom was fidgeting with the champagne glass in his hands, his eyes constantly going to the entrance to the gardens.  He hoped with everything in him that tonight’s revelation hadn’t scared her off.

_‘Damn Clark and his big mouth’,_ he thought angrily. 

But yet, she still smiled at him; still kissed him, albeit on his cheek. 

“It’ll be all right, mate”, Chris murmured softly, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Tom sighed.  “I’d hoped to speak of it to her myself…”

“At least she didn’t  _run”,_ Cobie said. 

“If only some muthafucka coulda kept his mouth shut…” Sam said, eyeing Clark.

“Woulda been nice if you actually told us _not_  to say anything”, Clark gruffed, rubbing his throat where Tom had squeezed.

“That woman adores you, anyone can see that”, Scarlett said softly. 

“Yea, man, you’re freaking yourself out over nothing”, Jeremy chimed in. 

“She’ll be back to jumping you in no time”, Robert said amusedly.  “Especially since she knows you’re loaded.”

Tom’s glare couldn’t get any icier.  “She is  _not_ like that”, he snarled.

Rob put his hands up in supplication.  “Hey, man, I’m joking”, he said soothingly. 

“Well, I can sort of understand where Tom is coming from, though”, Mark said.  “Suddenly finding out something like this…it’d unsettle any girl at first.  But I don’t think this is going to scare her off.  She’s a sweet girl.”

Tom sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

Their conversation was cut off when someone stumbled into the room, and down the steps.

It was Luke. 

His forehead was dripping blood, and he was unsteady on his feet.  Tom caught him when he stumbled into his arms. 

“What happened??” Tom asked as Scarlett grabbed a hankie out of her clutch to tend to the gash on Luke’s head.

“He’s here”, Luke groaned.  “He’s on the grounds…in the garden.  He knocked me out before I could call it in and stole my phone…”

Tom’s face went white.  Then rage stole over his face, unlike anything his friends had ever seen.  Cobie and Scarlett took Luke out of Tom’s arms, so he could turn, sprinting outside while barking for security to follow him.

He kept running until he heard it; a scuffle.  A hissing voice, along with whimpering. 

“You’ve teased me for the last time, slag”, the voice said.  “I saw you with  _him_ before…if you can give a piece of that hot little quim to him, you can give a piece to me.”

A whimpering response, before a terrified gasp and a pain filled yelp.

He came upon them; Johnson was attempting to maul her.  He’d pinned her against a pillar, and lifted her by her throat by a massive hand at least a foot off the ground.  Tears were leaking out of her eyes.  She was struggling against him, trying to kick at him, but he dodged her feet.  His other hand had yanked her dress off one shoulder, and was harshly and painfully groping a now bare breast…daring to bruise the flesh that deserved reverent and loving treatment.  Her small hands were trying to alternately push him away and claw at the massive hand at her throat…and her efforts were weakening.

Tom was frozen, save for the rage coursing through his veins, making his entire body tremble.  Said trembling was getting worse with each passing second.

His paralysis broke and with a snarl, he grabbed Johnson by the back of his collar, and wrenched him off.  When he was satisfied that she was free from his grip, he gripped the bigger man and with a roar, he flung him into another pillar, making him slam against it with a sickening thwack. 

Selenna, meanwhile, was coughing, rubbing her throat as she tried to get the spots to stop dancing in front of her eyes.  When her vision finally cleared, she saw what had pulled him off.  Tom was straddling Johnson, pounding his fists into Johnson’s face.  Tom’s expression was downright  _terrifying._   As if he had transformed into some sort of vengeful, wrathful demon.

It was at that moment that the others came running up; the Chrises, Rob, and Mark all had to drag Tom off him, while Jeremy and Sam were gently helping Selenna to her feet. 

“Tom… _TOM!!”_ Evans bellowed, finally managing to get Tom to look at him.  He nodded over in Selenna’s direction. 

Upon looking at her, he forced himself to calm down as he was pulled to his feet.  He went over her, taking off his jacket and draping it over her shoulders.  He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

At first, Selenna was wriggling, but upon breathing deeply, she recognized that scent, and burrowed into his arms, burying her head in his chest.  Security was hauling Johnson to his feet.

He petted her hair, crooning soothingly, until her trembling lessened considerably. His eyes, cold and hard, were glaring at Johnson over her head. 

“Let the others take you inside”, he murmured.  “I’ll be along shortly.”

She peeked up at him for a moment, and nodded.  She was deposited into Hemsworth’s arms, and guided inside as Tom spoke to the ones holding Johnson. 

“Get him to his knees”, Tom said as he nonchalantly started to roll up his sleeves.

She heard him say one more thing before she was brought inside.  It was the most chilling thing she’d ever heard.

**_“Hold him.”_ **

She waited inside for twenty minutes, with Tom’s friends and Chloe and Nikki were standing around her like a sort of armed guard, only they were armed with champagne glasses.

When Tom came back in, his knuckles were covered in red.  He rushed off to a bathroom to the side to clean himself up, then made his way back to where Selenna was being guarded. He caught her as she all but jumped into his arms. 

“Are you all right?” he breathed into her hair.

She nodded.  “I…I’m all right”, she murmured, her voice shaking.

Tom had decided that Johnson was going to do a ‘walk of shame’, and so security dragged him inside, making everyone gasp and murmur in shock at the man’s state.  He was bloodied and battered.

He was dragged to the middle of the dance floor.  Tom kissed Selenna’s forehead, before letting her go, and walking up to him.  He made a slashing motion across his throat, and the music stopped.  He was handed a microphone.

“I want any person who has ever been a victim of this man to step forward”, Tom commanded. 

Selenna didn’t hesitate to step up first.  She stood there, trembling a bit as she wrapped her arms around herself…

Then another woman stepped forward.  Then another.  Then another.

In all, about twenty women stood with her. 

Tom eyed them all, his mouth in a grim line.  He then nodded once. 

“Even though I’ve received no reports of his behavior, I’d like to personally apologize to you all for allowing this to go on for as long as it has”, Tom murmured. 

One of the girls, Kat, furrowed her brows.

“But…we’ve  _all_ submitted reports”, she said.

The cogs worked quickly behind Tom’s eyes, making him scowl.

“I think I know who’s responsible for such reports…they will be dealt with accordingly.  Now, I know I really shouldn’t be doing this, citing legal reasons, but I think that no one will begrudge you all getting your licks in.”

The girls all looked at each other warily.  It was clear that none of them wanted that man anywhere near them if they could possibly help it. 

To Tom’s surprise, only Selenna stepped forward, standing in front of the battered man.  She stared at him for a long moment, her face unreadable, before she struck. 

She’d lifted her foot, and kicked,  _hard._ The shriek that came from Johnson’s throat told everyone in the room that she’d perfectly hit her mark.  Her face twisted into a look of disgust and hatred. 

Her stance; feet apart, fists and jaw clenched, and fiery rage in her eyes, making her face flushed, turned Tom on more than anything had in their relationship so far.  He had to struggle to keep himself calm, and not carry her off over his shoulder.

She aimed another kick, making him shriek once more, his body going limp, hanging between the two men who were holding him.  She bent to hiss in his face.

“I’m going to tell you what every single woman is thinking right at this moment”, she said.  She gripped his face, making him groan in pain; she was sure that one or both of his orbitals were broken.

“Your face makes my vagina  _completely_ dry.”  She patted his bruised face,  _hard,_ before she turned, walking off.

It took a moment for her message to resonate with everyone before they all started laughing; Tom loudest of all.

Selenna sat on the staircase outside, her head buried in her hands, breathing heavily.  By God, she didn’t know what had come over her!!  She’d NEVER done anything REMOTELY like that in her life!! And in front of all her co-workers!!  _And Tom!!_  

Bugger all!!

She heard footsteps.  A moment later, she felt those long fingers gently threading through her hair.

“Do you need anything?” Tom asked quietly.

She looked up at him, taking a long, deep breath.  “I just needed a bit of a breather”, she replied, chuckling ruefully.  She looked to her hands when Tom took them, threading his fingers through hers. 

“I’m always at your place”, he murmured, looking at their linked hands.  “Tonight…you’re going to stay in mine.”

She felt herself being lifted, princess style, into his arms.  She curled her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder as he carried her up the massive staircase. 

“What about the party?” she murmured.

“I think it can go on without us”, he replied.

He carried her until he got to a door, opening it and carrying her inside.  He kicked the door closed with his foot and walked into the middle of the room.  He gently put her on her feet, so she could look around.

The room was big; an enormous, four poster bed set against the wall, a fireplace, which was crackling merrily opposite, a chest of drawers against the right wall, with a desk next to it, all made of dark cherry wood.  On the left wall, there were high windows, with a window seat in front of them.  Thick, dark green drapes with shimmering gold tassels hung on either side of the windows.  The bed was also draped in green and gold.  The carpet was emerald green.

The view from the windows was breathtaking.  She could see the garden, and the grounds beyond.  A pool, a tennis court to one side, with a mountain face on the other.  A waterfall was falling into a small river that was running through the grounds.

“Your favorite colors, I take it”, she said, chuckling, making him chuckle in response. 

She looked back at him; he was rubbing the back of his neck shyly, standing there as if he were in some sort of final exam upon which his entire future depended, and he was waiting with baited breath to see if he passed.

Her head tilted as she peered at him.  “You look nervous”, she murmured.

He took a long, slow, deep breath.  “I’m going to be honest”, he replied.  “You’re…the first I’ve brought up here.”

She blinked at him with wide eyes.  Many things were running through her head at once, so she settled on the thing that was clearest in her mind.

“I’m honored.”

He walked up to her, gathering her in his arms again.  His hand came up to her chin and lifted her head to closely inspect the hand shaped bruises on her throat.  His eyes darkened angrily. 

“I almost killed him”, he whispered.  “I…I’ve never been that angry in my life.  He…”  He swallowed hard.  “He  _dared_ to put his hands on you…and I almost killed him for it…”

She lifted her hands to cradle his face.  “Shhhh”, she said soothingly, stroking his cheeks.  “It doesn’t matter now.   _He_ doesn’t matter now.”

“But it  _does_ matter”, he ground out.  “You’d been complaining about him for a long time, and I did  _nothing…_   I…I feel like I failed you.”

She was taken aback, because tears were forming in his eyes.  She brushed them away with her thumbs, bringing his head down to kiss him.  Softly, sweetly, chastely.

His arms wrapped around her, almost crushing her to his body as their mouths opened, and the kiss turned hungry.  She moaned against his mouth. 

It was an eternity before they separated. 

“I’m sorry I never told you…about all this…”, he murmured, gesturing around.

“All this doesn’t make you who you are”, she murmured back.  She took a deep breath, before admitting something that not even she had realized until just this moment.  “I didn’t fall for all of  _this._ I fell…for  _this.”_ She put a hand over his heart.  “…For  ** _you.”_**

He groaned as he crushed her to his body again, kissing the breath right out of her.  His groan turned into a growl when he felt her small hands undoing his tie, and unbuttoning his shirt.  He caught her hands, his lips separating from hers.

“No”, he murmured at her look.  “Tonight is about  _you.”_   He cradled her face.  “Are you sure you’re up for this tonight?”

She nodded, nestling her cheek into his palm.  “I want to feel you…and  _only_ you.”

He moved behind her, where she felt his fingers just barely brush against her back as he slowly unzipped her gown and pulled it over her shoulders, making the light fabric flutter to the floor.

She could have  _sworn_ she heard a strangled sound from his throat.

He took her hand, and led her to the bed, and sat down, patting his thigh.  “Put your foot here”, he said.

Her foot lifted to rest on his thigh, where his long fingers gripped her foot, and undid the buckle to her shoe.  He lifted her foot, pressing a kiss to the arch, and let it fall, where he did the same to the other foot.  She reached out to hang on to one of the posters on the bed, because his hands started to slowly slide up her leg.  He held her foot as his lips followed the path his hands were going, kissing his way up to her thigh, right above her thigh high stockings. 

It took all he had not to throw her onto the bed and ravish her over, and over, and over again.  She wore the matching bra, knickers, thigh high stockings and suspenders, said articles of clothing fitting her to perfection. 

The leg she was balancing herself with started to get weak, so her grip on the poster tightened.  The feeling of his warm, soft lips sent sparks through her. 

He unhooked her suspenders, first on one leg, then the other.  She shivered when she felt his long fingers hook under the waistband of her knickers, slowly pulling them down.  She stepped out of them, reaching behind her to undo the suspenders, where they joined her knickers on the floor.  Now, she was only wearing the thigh highs and the bra. 

His touch was gentle, and feather light as he first gently guided her to straddle him, then ran his fingers up her legs, over her thighs, and up her sides.  He reached her shoulders, and slowly pulled down the straps to her bra, pulling them down over her shoulders.  He reached around, undoing the clasp before letting the garment join the others on the ground.

He looked at the bruises that had formed on her neck, and on her breast from Johnson’s hand.  He growled, making her bow her head.  She felt his fingers under her chin, tilting her head up to guide her eyes to meet his.  He watched as tears formed in her eyes which slid closed, making them flow down her cheeks.  His hands cradled her face as his thumbs brushed them away.

She gasped as she felt his lips at her neck; again, feather light, like his touch.  He was especially careful around her bruises. 

Another gasp came from her when she was lifted, and turned, gently being laid down on his soft bed.  He stood over her, admiring her as she peeked up at him.  It was one of the most erotic sights he’d ever seen.

She was laying in his bed, with her hair fanned around her head, the glossiness of the waves and curls shining in the firelight.  Her body was gloriously bare, save for the thigh highs.  He didn’t know what it was about the thigh high stockings…perhaps it was simply because of the woman wearing them. 

He slowly crawled over her, pressing feather light kisses all over her body, making her whimper and squirm.

Their bodies had come together so many times before…but tonight was  _different._

Tonight, for the first time, he was going to take it slowly.  To take the time to worship every inch of her body…treat it with the reverence and tenderness it deserved.

He was going to make love to her  _properly._

He felt her hands unbutton his shirt, and pull it out of the waistband of his slacks.  He helped her to remove it, then removed the undershirt.

She moaned, arching her back as she felt the contact of his bare chest against her breasts.  Her arms wrapped around his neck, her fingers running through his hair.  She moved a bit so he could undo his belt buckle, and remove his slacks completely.  

She wrapped her legs around his waist while he grasped his rigid length and slowly…ever so slowly…eased himself inside until he was buried to the hilt.  She whimpered in his ear.

He gently guided her hands from around his neck, only to thread his fingers through hers, pressing her hands on the bed on either side of her head as he slowly started to move.  His eyes never left her face, wanting to take in every single detail.  The way her lips parted when she gasped, how her eyes darkened and fluttered when she was aroused, how her breathing became heavier when she was  _so close,_  and the glow her skin took on when she came.  Even now, her breathing was becoming more erratic, her inner muscles clenching and unclenching; a sure sign that her completion was near.  Her hips bucked, but he stopped moving.

“Slowly”, he breathed in her ear.  “ _Slowly.”_

She whimpered, but acquiesced to his entreaty, allowing him to resume his maddeningly slow pace.  His lips captured hers in a tender kiss, swallowing her gasp as one hand untangled from hers, and moved between their bodies, lazily and gently circling her clit, making her yelp and whimper. 

He could tell she was  _right there._ “ _Look at me”,_ he moaned desperately.

Her eyes opened wide, looking up at him as her orgasm came on surprisingly strong despite the slowness and tenderness in his pace. 

The way her eyes glazed over made him groan, and it was only then that his pace quickened.  He’d tried SO HARD to go slowly, but the way she was wriggling under him made his hips move faster. 

She yelped as his thrust grew more impatient and intense.  She cooed and mewled in his ear while his hand came back up to once again thread his fingers through hers.  She came again as his own orgasm washed over him.  Their eyes never left each other. 

Their bodies were covered in a thin sheen of sweat as they floated down from their high.  Looking down at her, he basked in that glow that radiated from her. 

It went this way through the rest of the night.  He very slowly, very tenderly, and very reverently worshipped every single inch of her body.

After the last time, she was tucked against his side, the two of them nestled comfortably between his sheets.

“Iluvyoo”, he mumbled, just before he fell asleep.

She peeked up at him, also so close to dreamland. 

“I love you too”, she whispered sleepily.

Her eyes drifted to a door, which must have been a closet.  The door was ajar.

In the split second before she followed him in sleep, something glinted within the depths of the closet.

Something glinting.  Something  _gold._


End file.
